Ferris hosts first Chinese New Year celebration

Whitney Gronski-Buffa

Published
8:35 pm EST, Tuesday, January 24, 2012

DANCE: Members of the FSU Chinese Cultural Student Group performed a dance on Tuesday. The dance was one of several performances that entertained guests at the Chinese New Year Celebration held at the Rankin Student Center Dome Room. (Pioneer photo/Kyle Leppek) less

DANCE: Members of the FSU Chinese Cultural Student Group performed a dance on Tuesday. The dance was one of several performances that entertained guests at the Chinese New Year Celebration held at the Rankin ... more

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DANCE: Members of the FSU Chinese Cultural Student Group performed a dance on Tuesday. The dance was one of several performances that entertained guests at the Chinese New Year Celebration held at the Rankin Student Center Dome Room. (Pioneer photo/Kyle Leppek) less

DANCE: Members of the FSU Chinese Cultural Student Group performed a dance on Tuesday. The dance was one of several performances that entertained guests at the Chinese New Year Celebration held at the Rankin ... more

Ferris hosts first Chinese New Year celebration

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With 17 students, Chinese population on campus is largest ever

BIG RAPIDS — In the Chinese zodiac, those born in the year of the dragon are said to be strong rulers who stand to lead very fortunate lives.

In 2012, the year of the dragon, Ferris State University hopes to strengthen its presence in the international community, starting with its largest-ever class of Chinese students.

Ferris’ Chinese Cultural Student Group, which officially became a registered student organization this week, hosted a Chinese New Year celebration on Tuesday night, complete with Chinese food and performances of traditional Chinese dances and music. The holiday falls between Jan. 15 and Feb. 15 each year.

Chinese Cultural Student Group chair Xiao Hua, a sophomore studying pre-dental hygiene, said she normally would be spending the holiday with her family, watching fireworks and making dumplings.

“I wish I was with my family, but I did get to call them,” she said. “We’d probably be together, watching movies or some kind of New Year’s show.”

This was the first year Ferris held a Chinese New Year celebration, but it’s also the first year the university has had a sizable Chinese student population. With 17 Chinese students enrolled this year, they are the third largest group of non-American students, behind Saudis, with 94 students, and Canadians, with 61 students, said Piram Prakasam, director of the Office of International Education. Three years ago, Ferris had no Chinese students.

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Visit the photo gallery to see more photos from the celebration.

Hosting events like Tuesday’s Chinese New Year celebration is part of the university’s goal to bring an international education to Big Rapids while also encouraging its students to seek opportunities abroad, Prakasam said. With the rise in China’s economic influence, Prakasam hopes to see more Ferris students look to China for opportunity.

“They say the next century is going to be a Chinese century,” Prakasam said. “That’s the hype now. Most of the Asian countries now look to China as a leader and, 20 years back, they saw the U.S. as the main super power in the world. So there’s a lot of opportunities our students have to learn from Chinese students and there’s opportunities for them to seek in China. ... The focus isn’t just to increase the number of international students here, but to globalize the campus.”